She led the whole village to prosperity by raising koi fish.

Chapter 112 Yu Yan's Disappearance

Time flies, and a new day dawns in the blink of an eye. The morning sunlight streamed through the window into the room, and Su Yuning slowly woke up. As usual, after washing up, she enjoyed a light and delicious breakfast. The simple yet tasty food brought her plenty of energy.

After finishing breakfast, Su Yuning walked briskly towards the vegetable garden. The garden was vibrant with life; the lush green leaves swayed gently in the breeze, as if displaying the power of life. Soon after, Murong Hai appeared in the garden. He carried a basket of fresh vegetable seedlings in one hand and a huge watermelon in the other, his face beaming with a warm smile.

Upon seeing Murong Hai's arrival, Su Yuning was slightly taken aback, then politely said, "Thank you for your kind gesture, but how much does this cost? I'll give you the money!" Her tone was very polite, but her eyes revealed a hint of aloofness.

Upon hearing this, Murong Hai waved his hand dismissively and replied nonchalantly, "Oh, we're friends, why are we talking about money? That would hurt our feelings!" With that, he put down what he was holding and began to help Su Yuning tidy up the vegetable garden.

However, Su Yuning did not show much joy in the face of Murong Hai's enthusiastic help. On the contrary, she said coldly, "You don't need to come and help anymore. I can take care of this vegetable garden myself with the villagers."

Murong Hai was clearly taken aback by Su Yuning's sudden words. He stopped what he was doing, looked at Su Yuning with a puzzled expression, and asked, "Miss Su, what's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly so cold to me, even ignoring me?"

Su Yuning bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and then answered truthfully, "My sister-in-law said that married women shouldn't get too close to male friends, otherwise it will ruin their reputation. So... I hope you can understand my predicament." After saying that, she lowered her head and didn't look at Murong Hai again.

Upon hearing Su Yuning's explanation, Murong Hai felt a surge of anger. He frowned and retorted angrily, "Don't listen to your sister-in-law's nonsense! We're just friends. What's wrong with friends helping each other out and staying in touch? Should we distance ourselves from each other because of a few words from others?"

"Please leave me alone and don't bother me again!" Su Yuning said grimly, forcefully shoving the heavy money bag into the other man's arms before shoving him away without hesitation. Murong Hai, stunned and incredulous, stared at Su Yuning's icy face, a sharp pain shooting through him. He slowly lowered his head, silently took the money bag, and turned to walk with heavy steps, looking utterly dejected, towards his rented room.

In the sweltering summer heat, the sun blazed down, and the entire earth seemed to be baking in the heat. Such hot weather was undoubtedly the perfect time to enjoy all sorts of refreshing treats. The factory workers, unable to contain their cravings, began chattering amongst themselves, suggesting cold noodles, cold rice noodles, and other cooling foods. However, when these comments reached Princess Wan'er's ears, she frowned impatiently and loudly retorted, "Eating cold things isn't good for your stomach! Eat whatever's available, don't be so picky!"

Although the workers did not lodge a strong protest on the spot, their disappointment and dissatisfaction were clearly visible. By noon the next day, when Princess Wan'er came to deliver the food as usual with a basket full of food, she was surprised to find that the factory, which should have been bustling with activity, was completely empty, and even the factory gates were tightly locked.

Princess Wan'er stood frozen before the tightly closed factory gate, stunned. Her eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before her, her mind blank. She couldn't comprehend how the usually docile and obedient workers could express their discontent in such an extreme way. At this moment, Princess Wan'er was filled with anger and regret. She couldn't help but reflect on whether she had truly been too autocratic, completely disregarding the feelings of others.

Meanwhile, Su Yuning, though she had driven Murong Hai away, still felt a void in her heart. Looking at the vegetable garden, she recalled Murong Hai helping out and couldn't help but sigh. She knew her sister-in-law meant well, but she couldn't truly let go of Murong Hai as a friend.

Princess Wan'er decided to make a change. She apologized to the workers, promising to respect their dietary opinions from now on. Seeing the princess's sincerity, the workers returned to work at the factory. When the news reached Su Yuning, she was deeply moved. Because of her sister-in-law's help, her business was thriving, and she decided to give her sister-in-law a share of the profits during the New Year as a token of her gratitude.

Back in Xinghua Village, after much deliberation, Su Yuning decided to go find Murong Hai. When she arrived at Murong Hai's residence in town, he was just about to leave for a distant place. Su Yuning mustered her courage and called out to him, blushing, "Perhaps we can maintain a proper distance and continue being friends." Murong Hai's face lit up with a delighted smile, and the two finally reconciled.

Afterwards, Su Yuning and Murong Hai continued tending to the vegetables in the garden. Su Yuning was responsible for catching bugs from the vegetables, while Murong Hai watered them and also took the time to educate her on vegetable knowledge.

"You can only water the vegetables in the morning and evening. Never, ever water them at noon!" The person speaking emphasized this point with a serious expression.

Standing to the side, Su Yuning looked puzzled, blinking her big, bright eyes as she asked curiously, "Why? Is there a problem with watering at noon?"

The man smiled slightly and patiently explained, "Watering vegetables at noon would be terrible! Because the temperature is high and the sun is strong at noon, watering at this time will cause the soil temperature to drop sharply, making it difficult for the vegetable roots to adapt to this drastic change, which will easily lead to root rot. In that case, the vegetables we've worked so hard to grow will suffer losses! So, my little fairy, you must remember this!" As he spoke, his gaze, full of affection and care, gently fell on Su Yuning.

Su Yuning nodded obediently and replied, "Yes, I know!" Just then, the eldest son and sister-in-law of the Su family happened to pass by. After glancing over, a hint of anger flashed across their faces, but they seemed to have some reservations and did not want to criticize their younger sister in front of everyone, so they pretended not to see her and hurriedly walked away.

Not long after, a burly, imposing middle-aged man strode in. Seeing this, Su Yuning quickly pulled Murong Hai aside and said urgently, "Quick, this is my father!" Murong Hai didn't dare to be negligent and immediately stepped forward, respectfully greeting the man, "Uncle, hello!"

Old Su, his face contorted with rage, trembled with fury. He raised his thick cane high and swung it with all his might at the person before him. Each strike was accompanied by his furious roar: "You brat! Who gave you the audacity to provoke my precious daughter? From this day forward, every time I see you, I'll beat you! I'll show you no mercy!"

Faced with Old Su's furious rage, the man who had been beaten was completely powerless to fight back and could only run away desperately, covering his head and fleeing in a sorry state. Old Su, however, relentlessly pursued him, continuing to shout and curse.

However, before this farce could subside, new troubles arose one after another. As night fell, Su Yuning, exhausted from a day's work, dragged her body home from the fields. The moment she entered, she heard the panicked voice of her eldest son: "Father, Mother, something terrible has happened! My wife is missing!"

Upon hearing this, the woman who had been sitting at the table suddenly stood up, her face full of worry, and asked anxiously, "Eldest son, did you and Yuyan have a fight? What if she ran back to her parents' home in a fit of anger?"

The eldest son of the Su family waved his hands repeatedly and hurriedly explained, "No, Mother, we've always gotten along very well, we've never argued or quarreled."

At this moment, Old Su, who was sitting to the side leisurely pouring himself a drink, suddenly interjected, "Then where is my precious grandson? Surely he couldn't have disappeared without a trace too?"

The eldest son of the Su family turned deathly pale instantly, and stammered, "He...he's gone too!"

"What?" Old Su was stunned. His hand trembled, and the wine pot he was holding fell straight down. It crashed to the ground with a "bang," and in an instant, the wine pot shattered into pieces, with fragments scattered everywhere.

The woman was frantic with worry, like an ant scrambling frantically on a hot plate. She gripped the eldest son's arm tightly, her voice trembling with extreme terror, tears streaming down her face. With a sob, she urgently asked, "Oh God! What happened? How could the child and Yu Yan disappear at the same time? Shouldn't they have gone home with you?"

The eldest son of the Su family looked terrified and bewildered. He shook his head repeatedly and stammered, "No...no, I was busy organizing the teaching materials at the school, so I let Yuyan take the child home first. Who knew this would happen, sigh..."

Old Su, who was standing to the side, was already furious. He glared at the group of people who were standing there dumbfounded and roared, "What are you all standing here for? Hurry up and go find someone! What if something happens to you!" After saying that, he rushed out of the house and ran outside.

Immediately, the whole family sprang into action. The woman staggered along the village roads, knocking on doors from house to house, but the answer was always the same: no one had seen her daughter-in-law and grandson. Left with no other choice, she dragged her exhausted body and heavy steps to other villages to continue her search.

Meanwhile, Old Su arrived at the foot of the back mountain, his eyes wide as he meticulously searched for any trace of his family. As he walked, he repeatedly called out his daughter-in-law and grandson's names, hoping for even the slightest response. However, apart from the echoes of his own voice in the mountains, all around remained quiet and utterly still.

The eldest son of the Su family, carrying a torch, trudged up the mountain, his steps uneven and difficult. The mountain path was rugged and treacherous, and the poor visibility at night nearly caused him to fall several times. But his worry for the safety of his family made him disregard these dangers, and he gritted his teeth and persevered, not overlooking any corner where people might be hiding.

Su Yuning hurriedly drove the carriage to town, intending to seek help from Murong Hai, hoping to find her missing family members as soon as possible. However, when she arrived in town, the scene before her shocked her greatly—her sister-in-law and nephew were bound hand and foot and thrown into a corner. Not only that, their mouths were stuffed with dirty rags, so they couldn't make a sound. They looked incredibly disheveled and helpless, truly in a state of utter despair!

Su Yuning rushed forward anxiously and quickly untied the ropes binding the two men. She carefully helped them up and gently guided them onto the carriage. Once everything was settled, Su Yuning breathed a long sigh of relief and turned to leave.

However, at that moment, Murong Hai appeared before them like a ghost! His gaze fell on Su Yuning, instantly turning gloomy and ferocious. When he discovered that Su Yuning had not only rescued Yang Yuyan and the child, but was also attempting to escape with them, an uncontrollable rage surged within him.

Enraged, Murong Hai rushed forward without saying a word and forcefully pulled Su Yuning off the carriage.